Chapter 142

"There should be rules that it's a no work day the day after a banquet." Ryan said turning to face his wife who looked at him from her side of the bed where she laid. "Hhhmm, that's what one too many whiskeys does to one when you're not in your teens anymore." She challenged seeing his face change. "Alexandra Booth, there's only two people in this room and neither of us I would label as old." Ryan said rubbing her stomach softly when their energetic daughter made her way up the stairs. Slowly but loudly, her pink blanket trailing behind her like a cape. "I really need to wash that blanket." Alex said more to herself seeing that her daughter was permanently trailing the blanket with her wherever she went into the room.

"Daadaa!" Phoebe greeted entering the room. "Yeah go ahead Phoebe, because your father's the only one here." Alex said and the toddler's eyes went towards her mother, still carrying her blanket she ran towards Alex's side of the bed, opening her arms as her mother helped her onto the bed.

"Morning little miss." Alex smiled poking her lips out for a kiss, attention shifting to the sonogram picture on the side of Alex's bed Phoebe pointed towards it. "It's the baby." Alex explained simply, while trying to read the expression on her daughter's face. Ryan taking Phoebe's little hand in his own laying it on her mother's stomach. "There's a baby growing in mama's tummy." Ryan said, Phoebe looking at him with big eyes. "Noooooooooooo." She whined and her eyes became teary, launching herself at her mother, hands around her neck holding her as tightly as she possible could as Alex is trying to ignore the fact that Phoebe is pulling her hair in the process.

"Hey you don't have to get upset about it Pheebs." Ryan intervened trying to calm his daughter down. She wasn't very keen on this new baby thing from the beginning. "It's gonna be fun, the two of you playing together." Ryan tried but she kept her face hidden in her mother's shoulder not moving, not even at the voice of her father that usually gets to bring her spirits back up, helped this time.

Once she calmed down Alex moved up and laid Phoebe down in the middle of the bed, her eyes glued on her daughter who laid there, with her pacifier in her mouth, Alex stroking a hand over her curls softly. "Do you think we were being selfish trying to get pregnant while she's still so small?" Alex asked her husband who also looked down at their toddler. "I didn't think she'd start crying whenever we mention another baby entering the household." He admitted leaning down kissing Phoebe's cheek. "Maybe when she's bigger and the baby is here she'll see that we're not abandoning or replacing her." Ryan reasoned catching his wife's eyes. "I hope you're right." Alex said softly, sighing loudly.

Alex walked into the day care with her daughter trailing next to her, although this took them twice as long to make the walk from the car to inside the day care, Phoebe's face lit up when she saw Marci standing in the room where their age group usually gathers.

"Good morning Phoebe!" Marci greeted friendly picking her up kissing her cheek before setting her down again as she made her way over to the play pen.

"Marci, how does Phoebe interact with other children? Especially the little ones?" Alex asked putting her daughter's bag down.

Marci and Alex both looked at Phoebe and another blonde girl playing together, "she doesn't have a problem with them and as you can see she has no problem sharing toys with them." Marci explained. "But if I have to be totally honest with you she gets upset when a caregiver is attending to a baby while she's in the room. Why are you asking all these question?" Marci asked looking at the mother skeptically.

Alex sighed deeply, biting her bottom lip. "I'm pregnant, and whenever we mention the word baby or the fact that she's going to be a big sister she starts crying or will claim Ryan and I as our own by clinging onto us for dear life."

"Congratulations!" Marci smiled hugging Alex for a long time. "It's normal, I mean when my sibling were born I didn't want anything to do with them for the first few months. I'm sure Phoebe will come around when things get to that." Marci tried to set the young mother's heart at ease.

"The kind of friends I have." Nimah said when she walked into the office. "Are so awesome." Natalie completed her sentence but the look she gave the rest of them was clearly not what she was looking for. "Are the ones who allows me to drink too much at a function and now I am paying the price for it." She moaned sitting down at her desk laying her head on her arms dramatically.

"And who was the one who said she can't do banquets sober?" Alex asked rhetorically looking at Nimah, while Shelby tried to stifle a laugh.

"Very funny coming from the one who never told us that she's pregnant."

"I told you guys, and I was waiting for the right moment to do so." Alex added trying to state her point pointing a finger in their direction while rolling her chair over to Shelby's desk, opening the drawer looking for some sort of luxury that she knows she's always hiding in her drawer.

"Alex can I help you?" Shelby asked moving up looking at the brunette who rummaged through the drawer. "I just want something sweet. Chocolate, macaroons, caramel popcorn, just something sweet." Alex answered frustrated when she didn't get anything. "Now one can see Simon's not here anymore, he would've been here with coffee and muffins that he was forced to buy." Nimah smiled reminiscing about their late friend and the memories they still have about him. "I'm broke I need to save up for nine months, I'll go twist Ryan's arm and tell him I have sweet cravings." Alex said getting up walking towards the staircase.

Ryan walked into his office, greeted by Hannah sitting on the couch once again when he opened the door. "Hannah you can't keep showing up to my office like this without an appointment." Ryan said entering the office putting his bag down.

"If you tell me about whether you've considered the case I gave you a few days ago, I would make less of a nuisance of myself." Hannah said, standing up walking towards the cabinet behind her pouring herself some whiskey while making her comfortable on the couch again, kicking her shoes off and outing her feet up, her one hand leaning on the back of the couch. Ryan still standing behind his desk, hands in his pockets looking at her. "Yeah, well please make yourself at home." He said sarcastically, and she lifted the glass in his direction, her eyes shifting in the direction of the door when it opened.

"Alex!" Hannah smiled over friendly, a fake smile that made Alex stop in her tracks since she's never seen this woman before, her eyes drifting to the desk where her husband stood stagnant leaning against the front of his desk, his arms folded across his chest looking towards the door. Alex's eyes full of unanswered questions and Ryan knowing this will lead to another argument.

"Am I interrupting something?" Alex asked a hint of sarcasm in her voice, hearing Ryan sigh loudly.

"No you're not. Alex this is Hannah Wyland." Ryan introduced.

"I'm his ex." Hannah interrupted smiling too eagerly once again, Alex shaking her hand despite the fact that she wants to shoot this woman in the face. "I'm his wife." Alex shot back looking at the blonde with daggers in her eyes. "It's fine, it wasn't important I need to get back to work." Alex dismissed walking out of the office, slamming the door closed behind her.

"Why did you do that?" Ryan asked abruptly.

"Do what? I am your ex Ryan I just thought she needed to know that." Hannah shrugged.

"Ex-girlfriend, we weren't on our way to becoming married!" He yelled frustrated looking at her. "Hannah just tell me what this case of yours is so you can leave me alone." Ryan said and Hannah handed him another envelope. "I'm the social worker and I need your help because I can't do this on my own. Oh and I'd appreciate it if your wife isn't the third part on this." She got up, put on her shoes again while grabbing her things making her way for the door.

Ryan sighed loudly pulling out his chair scanning the case Hannah gave him, feeling like he'd need a go ahead from Maranda first since Liam is taking the day off. Walking out of his office he saw Alex leaving Maranda's office making her way down the stairs as quickly as she possibly can.

"Alex." Ryan called but she continued walking. Ryan followed her, taking her arm hoping she'll give in and listen to what he has to say. "Can we talk please?" He asked but Alex shook her head. "I have work to do." She dismissed walking downstairs as she freed her arm from his hold.

"Alex please." Ryan said firmly and Alex walked back to the office with him, trying to ignore the stares they got on the way, closing the door behind them as Alex stands in the middle of the room.

"What is this about Ryan? I have work to do."

"Hannah Wyland. We dated for some time before I met you. That's it nothing more than that. She's been making a nuisance of herself and this isn't the first time it's happened." He explained.

"So she's been here before? Making herself comfortable like that? Ryan how would you feel if you've walked in on an ex of mine just casually relaxing in my office?" Alex yelled.

Ryan sighed, this was clearly not how the conversation was going in his head. "Dammit Alex I cannot do this with you right now! She is a social worker, who got a case that she can't handle on her own and she asked if the Bureau will be able to help. The fact that it ended up on my pile of work was coincidence and it's not like I can turn it away just because I know her."

"Okay Ryan." Alex said walking towards the door feeling like this is the end of the conversation.

"It is not okay, Alex! You're not fine. Do you see how you're always running off when we're in the middle of an argument, and then nothing gets solved because Princess Alex didn't get her way!"

Before Alex could answer Maranda opened the door not looking very impressed with the two of them. "I'm going to say this once and then never again. Your personal issues cannot follow you to work. The two of you need to find a way to separate the two, the whole damn building can hear you screaming at one another!" The curly haired woman reprimanded them, making eye contact with them before leaving them alone again. Alex following Maranda when she left the office despite Ryan calling Alex's name. Crumpling up a piece of paper that were on his desk he threw it aiming for nothing in particular, and it didn't help much because he was still frustrated with the whole situation.

Thanks for reading. Lovies-S